Nyssa sylvatica
Black Tupelo, Black Gum, Sour Gum, Pepperidge
Southern Ontario to southern Florida, to Midwest.
Pyramidal in youth, rounded with age; upper one-third of branches ascend, center branches are horizontal, lower branches hang down.
Moist, acid soils, full sun to partial shade. Tolerates drier soils and poor drainage.
Excellent specimen tree and tolerates being a street tree. Will not tolerate highly polluted areas. Prune in fall. For a beautiful, early fall color, though color varies with the tree. Taproot makes transplanting difficult.
Alternate, simple, entire, 2 to 5 inches long obovate or elliptic. Lustrous, dark-green in summer; early fall colors yellow, red, purple.
Buds are smooth yellow-brown to red-brown .125 to .25 inches. Leaf scar with 3 prominent bundle scar traces.
Dark-gray.
greenish yellow
Small bluish black drupe .5 inches long. Birds eat it.
Seed.
'Autumn Cascades' - Weeping with good fall color.
'Jermyns Flame' - Excellent fall color.
'Miss Scarlet' - Red fall color.
'Sheffield Park' - Good, early fall color.
